Scarlett’s POV
The air inside Charles’s villa felt heavier by the hour.
Maybe it was psychological.
Or maybe… it was real.
Even with the new locks on the doors, the updated alarm system, and the fact that Miriam was now moving around with a pepper spray canister clipped to her waistband like some low-budget bodyguard, the tension didn’t lift.
I sat on the edge of the study desk, scrolling through private security firms on the old laptop Charles had left behind. I wasn’t using my own devices anymore. I couldn’t afford that level of traceability.
Miriam was in the sitting room, speaking to yet another firm on speakerphone, vetting, questioning, cross-checking names against Jasper’s known associates, and making sure none of these guards would later turn into informants hoping to cash in
